Will Mclean

Hearing loss in humans has always been irreversible. His innovation may change that.

by Jonathan W. Rosen

Will McLean, 31

Frequency Therapeutics

Will McLean believes he’s found a fix for a medical conundrum that many thought could never be solved: hearing loss in humans.

McLean’s research focuses on the cochlea, the spiral-shaped cavity within the inner ear that’s responsible for hearing. At birth, the average human cochlea contains 15,000 hair cells, which detect sound waves and transfer them to the brain.